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You might naturally think that’s because of my role as a father, but it’s really my role as a son (who is also a father). My dad died on July 3 2010, at the age of 80, having lived a hell of a life.

This will be my third Father’s Day without my dad. I miss him not just on Father’s Day, but every day. Being his son wasn’t always easy and there were some years of emotional estrangement, but we found our way back to each other as adults, before it was too late. My last words to him were, “I love you, Dad,” and his to me were, “I love you, Son.” I sat beside him and held his hand as he exhaled his final breath.

I’m so grateful to have had a father worth missing. Some of my childhood friends had fathers not worth missing. I was one of the very lucky ones.

Due to a quirk in the family calendar, the third weekend in June is always crazy. We celebrate two kid birthdays plus Father’s Day, and I usually stagger into the end of the weekend in a state of party-induced exhaustion. This week I am making two birthday cakes, a batch of cupcakes, and pancakes for slumber party guests–who I’m sure won’t have had enough sugar by seven a.m. Saturday morning.

Then Sunday, I’ll be making several pot-luck dishes to take to our family Father’s Day dinner.

As I browsed the “Dads and Grads” display at my supermarket this week, I started wondering about the origin of Father’s Day. Where did this holiday come from, anyway?

I was mildly surprised to learn that it wasn’t invented by Hallmark. There are several stories, but the most prevalent one seems to be that Father’s Day was started by Sonora Smart Dodd in Spokane, Washington, in 1910. Dodd wanted a holiday to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who single-handedly reared six kids. She was inspired by Mother’s Day, which had just recently become a nationally recognized holiday in America.

Father’s Day had commercial backing from the very beginning, including support from various trade groups, such as retailers of menswear. These days Father’s Day is second only to Christmas as a time to buy gifts for men.

I was surprised to learn that Father’s Day did not become an official American holiday until Richard Nixon signed a law in 1972. So we have Dick to thank for this special holiday.

What is your family doing to celebrate Father’s Day? I feel lucky to get to spend the day with several of the best dads I know, my husband and my father-in-law, who are going to help us eat up all the leftover birthday cake from this week’s parties.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there, and have a great weekend!

You have to have a thick skin in my family. We make fun of everyone, especially if you aren’t around to defend yourself. If you miss a family gathering, that makes you fair game.

And although my dad is known to be something of a hard ass, we make fun of him, too. We make fun of his puns, his unique fashion sense (no one wears tube socks quite like my father). We also make fun of his sayings. These are the one-liners he used to throw out at us growing up whenever anyone had the nerve to complain about something:

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Plan your work and work your plan.

Many hands make light work.

We’re all going to work until the work is done.

Are you picking up on a theme here? My dad is something of a workaholic. There were a lot of events he missed while I was growing up. But I see him now from a different perspective and I realize that for all the missed volleyball games and family dinners, he taught me the importance of having a strong work ethic.

The role of fathers has changed a lot since I was little. I don’t remember my father ever driving a carpool or attending a parent conference or packing a lunchbox. But every day I think of at least one of his pithy sayings and it motivates me to get my butt in gear and work hard at whatever it is I’m doing, because ultimately I’m doing it for my family.

Father’s Day is Sunday, and I feel blessed that I get to spend the holiday with my dad. I plan to stay at my parents’ house and help my mother make a big steak-and-potatoes dinner for everyone. We’ll probably sit around the table and tell stories and make fun of each other, because that’s one of our favorite pastimes. I hope my father will share some of his corny sayings and I hope my kids will listen because they sound so much better coming from him than anyone else.

Did your dad have any words of wisdom for you while you were growing up? Did he or another father figure in your life teach you something that sticks with you as an adult? I’m always interested to hear about other people’s role models and what they remember about them into adulthood.

Here on the blog I like to give away Starbucks gift cards. But in honor of my dad–who would have absolutely no use for a skinny latte, but who loves to read–I’m giving away a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble and a signed copy of my latest release, UNFORGIVABLE. Just leave a comment for a chance to win. And have a great weekend!

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Bio:

Allison Brennan

Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly three dozen romantic thrillers and mysteries, including the Lucy Kincaid series and the Max Revere series. She lives in Northern California with her husband, five children, and assorted pets.